Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 409 i Australasian Bus & Coach

TAILORED to meet New Zealand’s reduced Road User Charges thanks to lower axle loads, Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) has delivered Auckland Transport’s first three-axle BYD-chassis Enviro200EV XLB, recently. The NFI Group Inc. owned ADL says its BYD-based Enviro200EV XLB is “a further evolution of the successful combination of ADL’s expertise in tailoring buses to transport authorities and operators’ requirements with BYD’s battery technology”. The zero-emission three-axle 12.6m-long vehicle joins the Auckland Transport fleet with a total passenger capacity of 78. The bus will be evaluated on different services in New Zealand’s largest city via trials supported by energy supplier Mercury, ADL confirms. Up to 36 passengers can be seated while two wheelchair spaces provided are accessed via a manual ramp at the front door, the company explains. Additionally, the bus…

BUS OPERATOR and public transport entity Sealink Travel Group – owner of Transit Systems and Torrens Transit et al – has now arrived at the coveted ASX 200 (Australian Securities Exchange), it confirms. In securing a place in the S&P Dow Jones/ASX 200 index, the achievement hallmarks the organisation’s growth from humble beginnings in South Australian, growing from 1,655 employees in 2019 to approximately 9,000 today. With revenue approaching $1.2 billion per annum; a market capitalisation of approximately $2 billion; and operations in Australia, the UK and Singapore; Sealink is uniquely positioned as Australia’s largest, multi-modal international transport and travel company, it states. The catalyst for this significant growth has been principally derived from the $635 million acquisition of the Transit Systems Group of companies in January, 2020, which was…

NSW BUS OPERATOR Busways is ensuring school students on the North Coast keep their studies up while in lockdown by delivering – for free – ‘learning from home’ materials from local schools, the company confirms. The clever initiative – in cooperation with Transport for NSW (TfNSW), the NSW Department of Education, and Catholic and Independent Schools – means Busways buses are being used to offer a different kind of service during the statewide Covid-enforced lockdown, which especially helps those students in remote and isolated locations. Busways assistant service delivery manager Mark Lawrence said: “We thank the principal of Wauchope High School for bringing us this idea. We want to do our bit to help the community, and this is a service that we are well-equipped to deliver – just transporting…

WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORT an all-encompassing key discussion area in a Covid-blighted world, UITPANZ’s online forum that started on Tuesday, 28 September 28 – will uniquely gather 30 top international, regional and domestic experts to discuss industry evolution going forward. Presented by the International Association of Public Transport (Union Internationale des Transports Publics) Australia/New Zealand (UITPANZ) – in partnership with the Victorian Department of Transport and international engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon – the Transforming Public Transport Forum will dive deeply into how authorities and operators can adjust to changing mobility behaviour and enable new travel patterns to ensure public transport remains, “…the backbone of how people move around our cities and regions,” UITPANZ explains. These experts will canvass a range of perspectives and share leading innovations and case studies…

VOLVO Bus Australia (VBA) has added a senior field-service engineer to its Perth bus team, as an integral part delivering on the Public Transit Authority (PTA) supply contract of both electric and diesel buses, the company announced recently. Effective August 2, 2021, internal hire Chris Hartmann was appointed to the role, responsible for supporting customers and dealers in Western Australia with technical support and product assistance. Hartmann has been a part of Volvo Group Australia for about 15 years, having worked as a heavy vehicle technician with a variety of customers and applications, the company confirms. He has an extensive understanding of heavy vehicle mechanics, diagnostics, electrical and hybrid vehicles, is a certified hybrid vehicle technician, is qualified as an auto electrician, and holds a safety certificate in traction voltage,…

CAPTURING MORE THAN 159,000kWh of local Queensland sunshine – collected on-site at Transdev’s Capalaba depot each year – the full-sized e-bus is helping to engage more people in e-mobility, with South-East Queenslanders already experiencing the comfort and convenience of the 39-seat e-bus service on Translink routes throughout Brisbane and the Redlands area. Key to the success in the delivery of such a service is ABB’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure powering the new 39-seat e-bus service. According to the company, its cloud-connected digital solution for EV chargers means Transdev can remotely monitor the charging infrastructure all day and night to ensure reliable and efficient bus services. “Given that nothing of this scale had been done before in Australia, or New Zealand, having a supplier like ABB that had local know-how…

Was country singer and white-bearded icon Willie Nelson in some sort of restricted movement situation, or enforced home confinement, when he penned his famous 1979 lyrics: “On the road again. Just can’t wait to get on the road again…”? More specifically, the second verse’s: “Goin’ places that I’ve never been. Seein’ things that I may never see again…”? While these invitingly lullaby-like song words seem equally, if not more so, relevant to thousands across Australia and citizens across the world today, where government lockdowns persist in an attempt to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, to some people such an escapist idea will largely remain just a beautiful ideal. And that’s because, for many, their more pressing health concerns – like cancer treatment, crucial surgeries, CT scans, blood tests for diabetes and…

Early last year, Blue Bus had 18 tours in its brochure ready to promote in 2020, when the dark shadows of the pandemic descended and cancelled everything. The company managed to get a few tours off the ground after August 2020, but the operations missed that pre-Covid level before further restrictions derailed the plans again. Despite that, the husband-wife duo is planning a full tour program for 2022; “Living in hope,” as Geoff says. In 2002, the couple bought Russell Island Bus Service with a 31-seater Isuzu bus and now operate 10 coaches under G&S Jacob & Sons Pty Ltd - trading as Blue Bus, Russell Island Bus Service, and Macleay Island Bus Service (purchased in 2004), offering school bus services and short and extended accommodated coach tours. “Having worked…

The Australian bus and coach market remained flat on the previous month, with 68 deliveries reported by manufacturers. The numbers are struggling to lift in the new financial year, with July’s 69 and August’s 68 well down on the 114 reported in June. Scania enjoyed a solid month-on-month rise in the chassis sector, up from 11 to 27 deliveries. This was underpinned by a 14-unit order from Ventura and another six from Transdev. Volvo fell back from 29 to 19, with Perth Transport Authorities providing eight of its deliveries, and Busways another six. Yutong was next best, just short of double digits. Volgren led the body-building sector with 26 deliveries, a jump of 10 on July. No other bodybuilder reached double figures here, though Yutong was next best on nine.…

QUEENSLAND’S electric bus roll-out has been “supercharged” following the government commissioning 16 Bustech e-buses – to be made on the Gold Coast – for the state’s first fully electric depot, it was announced recently. In a move touted as a jobs boost “from Burleigh to North Lakes”, the $15.6 million state government deal with operator Keolis Downer will also create Queensland’s first fully electric bus depot in North Lakes, at the home of Hornibrook Bus Lines, it’s been confirmed. The first of the new buses – vehicles that will use 100 per cent renewable energy and be zero emission, the government states – is due to arrive at the North Lakes depot in September 2022, ahead of all 16 being ready for service by late 2023. Transport and main roads…

ICONIC New Zealand bus and coach operator Ritchies Transport Limited (‘Ritchies’) has, pending final approvals, been sold to global investment firm KKR. The purchase “marks the next chapter of [the] company’s rich history”, with the 86-year-old Kiwi bus company and KKR signing definitive agreements to facilitate the acquisition, marking KKR’s first infrastructure investment in New Zealand, it confirms. Founded in Temuka in 1935, Ritchies is one of the largest transport providers in New Zealand, with a fleet of more than 1,600 vehicles and a network of 42 strategically located depots across the country, it explains. The company provides the government, local councils and private customers with reliable and accessible public transport solutions in some of New Zealand’s largest cities, Ritchies states. Upon completion of the transaction, the Ritchie family will…

TRANSIT SYSTEMS’ parent company Sealink Travel Group is aiming to be operating at least 55 zero-emission buses in its Australian fleet by the end of financial year ’22, announced off the back of a recent annual share-price doubling result. Citing ‘safe and essential services’ as having steered Sealink’s strong performance, the pandemic has taken its toll on most businesses around the globe, but Sealink’s core operations are principally contracted or non-discretionary essential transport services, leading to a very “resilient” financial result, it explains. The market has recognised the new journey that Sealink is on and the doubling of the share price in the past 12 months reflects the quality of the underlying earnings, it adds According to Sealink Travel Group CEO Clint Feuerherdt operating safely has been critical to the…

FOLLOWING a recent announcement from Australia’s Bus Industry Confederation (BIC) naming Roz Chivers as its new executive director, the NHVR has welcomed the appointment. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says Chivers’ knowledge of national policy and her track record in collaboration between industry and government would be welcomed in the heavy vehicle industry. “Buses make up a significant section of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet and I look forward to working with Roz and chair Wayne Patch to continue to support the vital role they play in both safety and productivity on our roads,” Petroccitto said. “Both private and government sector bus companies are also supported by extensive supply chains, and BIC has been an important advocate on behalf of the sector since the Heavy Vehicle National Law was introduced almost a…

THE VICTORIAN state government says travelling by bus will be more convenient, faster and less crowded given its overhaul of some of Melbourne’s most popular bus routes and two extra services, it announced recently. Firstly, a new bus route 816 from Keysborough South to Noble Park Station will be introduced from 28 November to provide additional public transport to the growing area south of Keysborough, connecting residents to local shops and schools, it explains. The service will run seven days per week – every 30 minutes during the weekday peak and every 60 minutes off peak. On weekends, services will run every 60 minutes, it adds. Secondly, travelling to and from work and education in Parkville will be quicker thanks to a new limited-stop bus connecting Victoria Park Station to…

TELEMATICS addition as standard, new body colours and upgraded high-end safety features highlight an updated Fuso Rosa light-duty bus – intended for the Japanese domestic market (at first, at least) – that was launched in August, Mitsubishi-Fuso announced recently. The new 29-seat ‘Pro line long-body’ Rosa – available through Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) sales companies and regional sales units across Japan – comes with the Busconnect telematics function as standard, which notifies and manages the vehicle’s operational status in real time to bus operators, the company confirms. The telematics feature allows bus operators to track and manage vehicle location, routing and drivers’ safety scores, while enabling remote diagnosis in real time, it explains. Through geofencing, Busconnect aids fleet managers in detecting vehicle issues, while also contributing to…

Effective as of September 13, 2021, current Irizar Australia managing director Daniel Castro left his position to join Irizar operations in the United States as the new director. Castro has a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and has recently concluded his Master’s in business administration at the Melbourne Business School. “I am proud to be part of the history of Irizar in Australia since day one of this market, initially as sales and technical support for our previous sales representative and, since 2013, as the managing director of our operation,” said Castro, who devoted 17 years of his career to the Irizar Group. “Watching a market start, helping to remove the hurdles [out] of the way and see a brand reach strong recognition is a long cycle that not many…

“WE understand how critical it is for bodybuilders to be able to maintain their staff and their cashflow, and so we have taken the decision to invest further in the local manufacturing industry,” said Scania Australia director of sales for bus and engines, Julian Gurney. “In the normal course of events we would typically only stock the Scania-Higer range of buses, but our reading of the market and the industry was that we needed to step in to assist our partners, as retail orders slowed as a result of the pandemic and lockdowns. “Public transport and school service suspension or reduction as a result of the lockdowns has hit bus operators very hard across all the eastern states and South Australia, with the knock-on effect impacting body-builders all around the…

SINGAPOREAN parent company ComfortDelgro is seeking an initial public offering (IPO) on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) for its local CDC Australia subsidiary by end of 2021, the company announced recently. ComfortDelGro Corporation’s move will unlock the value of the Group’s significant land transport business assets – the wholly owned subsidiary ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia Pty Ltd (CDC) – and comes after a successful two-week non-deal roadshow in June, which sought to introduce CDC to investors. CDC chairman Lim Jit Poh, said: “CDC is 16-years-old and has been a significant contributor to the Australian public transport scene. It has worked hand in hand with the authorities in the various states and territories it operates in to deliver reliable, safe and sustainable bus and coach services. “We believe the time is now…

BUS FANS far and wide will be making the trek – hopefully and if permitted – to Rocklea, Queensland, this October to help celebrate a very special 25th anniversary at the Heritage Bus Expo, organisers have announced. Members and supporters will be pleased to learn preparations for the organisation’s commemorative retro-bus expo are coming together well, with the event to be held at Bus Stop Sales, 1543 Ipswich Road, Rocklea on Saturday, October 16, 2021 between 9.30am and 2.30pm, it’s confirmed. According to event organisers, it will celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Queensland Omnibus & Coach Society Inc organisation, which held its inaugural meeting on July 14, 1996, at Brisbane Council’s Garden City bus depot. “We expect to have the largest display of heritage buses ever assembled in Queensland,…

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) invited feedback on its ebus strategy recently as it continues its objective to transition the state’s fleet of more than 8,000 diesel and gas buses to zero emission technology to meet transport minister Andrew Constance’s “challenge of 2030”. TfNSW deputy secretary – customer, strategy and technology, Joost de Kock, says the strategy and the feedback received will help form a roadmap, and business case, for transitioning fleets across NSW in order to deliver cleaner, quieter and greener journeys for customers. “The transport sector represents one of the largest and fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions,” de Kock stated. “It accounts for around 20 per cent of NSW’s carbon dioxide emissions with the majority of emissions from light passenger and heavy freight vehicles. “When it comes…

SCANIA AUSTRALIA is offering to fund upskilling for light-vehicle technicians who want to transition to heavy-duty vehicles, to be deployed to its nine company-owned workshops in Australian capital cities, it announced recently. The diesel-technician drive seeks out applicants who are ready for a career move and are eager to expand their skillsets and knowledge base – with the ultimate chance to represent Australia in the Top Team global after-sales skills competition, which Scania Australia has won three times and placed very well in on several further occasions, it confirms. “Recently we have been approached by light-vehicle technicians looking to work for Scania, but they are not qualified or certified to work on hydraulic systems or heavy-duty air-pressure braking systems,” said Sean Corby, regional executive manager for Scania NSW and Victoria.…

COMMUNITY SPIRIT Jabba the bus will be on the road from Tuesday, September 7, taking vaccinations to communities in Victoria that haven’t been able to access vaccination hubs. The bus is an Australian first and will travel across the GV Health Local Public Health Unit (LPHU) catchment area, which includes the municipalities of Greater Shepparton, Moira, Benalla, Strathbogie, Mitchell, Murrindindi and Campaspe. GV Health worked with Dyson Group, a local operator based in Bundoora, to convert the bus. It has three cubicles for vaccinations and a waiting area where patients can be monitored after their vaccination. Find out more at: www.gvhealth.org.au/covid-19/vaxbus/ EAT LEARN PLAY This rather smashing-looking bus is on the roads of Oakland, California, delivering books and meals to kids and families in the area. Run by the Eat.…

As Volvo bus marks its ‘50 years in Australia’ milestone throughout 2021, the company is reflecting on its long-term bus partnerships that have delivered decades of customer success, highlighting Volgren recently via its initial BZL e-bus production run. Volvo Bus Australia (VBA) and Volgren have a working relationship dating to the late-1970s – and as VBA prepares for the launch of the Volvo BZL electric chassis this September, it’s now confirmed the first four units will be products derived from its relationship with Volgren. This long relationship began soon after Volvo Bus entered the Australian market in 1971, establishing itself as a reliable Swedish bus chassis manufacturer. Volvo Bus then approached now Aussie bus industry icon Ken Grenda in 1977 – at the time the principal of Grenda Corporation in…

With e-mobility options becoming increasingly popular throughout the bus and coach industry, ZF continues to lead the way with a comprehensive suite of proven products, it says. From a selection of electric drive solutions to suit both traditional and contemporary configurations, through to management systems, active safety, chassis and suspension components, ZF’s range of e-mobility solutions for buses is now available. Notably, the electric drives offers multiple advantages to early adopters, especially for passengers, pedestrians and residents local to busy bus routes, with pollutants such as CO2 and nitrogen oxide eliminated, it states. Another attractive feature of the technology is practically silent operation; a key benefit for vehicles intended to be used in densely populated areas. The systems are also adaptable for various bus and coach configurations, including typical solo…

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects every organ system in the body and damage accumulates over time. The kidneys are a vital organ and when functioning normally, remove waste and harmful substances from the blood. The kidneys also play a vital role in maintaining blood pressure and electrolyte balance. When there is a problem with kidney function, this balance is disturbed. Shockingly, a person can lose 90 per cent of their kidney function without experiencing any signs or symptoms of the disease. Kidney disease stages 1 to 3 are usually symptom-free, though with high-risk implications. Undiagnosed, kidney disease can rapidly progress to stages 4 and 5 when kidney function will fail, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant (if suitable) to stay alive. Those with high blood pressure and diabetes are most…

GIVEN the tumultuous show preparations nationwide this year with the pandemic’s seemingly ‘on again, off again’ switch being thrown for all the lockdowns and or restrictions, there was much hope TasBus would be an ‘uninterrupted event’. And it was, in its own right – but Covid lockdown in Melbourne at the time did have an impact on many interstaters’ travel plans to attend the show. With that stated, it was a pretty good turnout and event overall put on by the amazing Tasmanian bus and coach fraternity, with a total of 90 attendees during the day and 117 for the conference dinner. “The Tasmanian bus conference provided an opportunity for operators and suppliers to gather together after the cancellation of the 2020 conference,” TasBus general manager Geoff Lewis said to…